Marek Tvrdon led the Giants to victory Saturday in Cranbrook. (Province files.)

The Vancouver Giants and Kootenay Ice, the bottom two teams in the WHL standings, did their best to make things interesting Saturday night in Cranbrook.

Vancouver came away with a 6-3 win that featured Marek Tvrdon scoring two goals and setting up another pair, Cranbrook native Payton Lee making 21 saves in the Giants goal, and Dalton Sward scraping Austin Vetterl just two days after the Giants had traded Vetterl to the Ice.

“I went to hit Vetts and he cross-checked me in the face,” Sward said. “I didn’t know it was him at the time. I grabbed him and said, ‘We’re going.'”

Kale Kessy also had one goal and two assists for the winners, while Anthony Ast had one goal and one helper. They were both plus-four, as was Blake Orban.

The Giants had already planned to call Lee up from Junior B on Friday, with strong hints that he’d be staying the rest of the season. On Wednesday, though, fellow netminder Liam Liston suffered a lower body injury against the Medicine Hat Tigers. They’re saying he’s day to day. Tyler Fuhr was Lee’s back-up against the Ice.

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